Houston Texans 2011: 10 Keys to Finally Winning the AFC South

The Houston Texans are trying to rebound from a disastrous 6-10 season following the first winning season in franchise history.  They return an elite offense featuring the best running back (Arian Foster) and the best wide receiver (Andre Johnson) in the game.  In the offseason they overhauled one of the worst defenses in the league and brought in Wade Phillips as a defensive coordinator.  Phillips is switching the Texans from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense.  They also made two important moves to improve their secondary when they signed Johnathan Joseph and Danieal Manning.  Now with the rest of the AFC South being down, it is time for the Texans to strike and claim the crown of the AFC south.

Keep Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson Healthy: First Key to Winning the AFC South

There are two players on this team who are absolutely irreplaceable.  Matt Schaub must be throwing the ball to Andre Johnson.  If either Johnson or Schaub go down for a significant portion of the season, the Texans lose at least two more games and miss the playoffs. 

Schaub is somehow an underrated quarterback after throwing for 9,000 yards in the last two seasons and throwing 53 touchdowns to just 27 interceptions. 

On the other hand, Andre Johnson is widely regarded as the best wide receiver in the league or at the bare minimum one of the top three.

Jacoby Jones: Second Key to the Texans Winning the AFC South

The Texans already have an elite offense, but it sputters at times because they don't have a true No. 2 receiver.  Jones has the physical abilities to be a very good receiver.  He is dynamic and explosive and does a decent job of running routes, but he just doesn't have good hands.  He drops balls that he should catch on a consistent basis. 

If he can reel in the simple balls that he should catch and become a dependable target for Schaub, then the Texans offense can go from being very good to truly elite.

Running Game: Third Key to the Texans Winning the AFC South

The Texans found a diamond in the rough when they signed Arian Foster as a rookie free agent out of Tennessee.  He led the league in both rushing yards and yards from scrimmage last year as he showed that he is truly a dynamic running back. 

However, he has been dealing with hamstring issues throughout the preseason.  While this strikes fear into the heart of some Texans fans, the team has several other viable options in the backfield.  Derrick Ward averaged over six yards per carry while giving Foster breaks last year, and Ben Tate has emerged after recovering from an ankle injury that sidelined him for all of last year. 

If Foster's hamstring does keep him out, the Texans have to keep the ball moving on the ground, but they can do that with Ward and Tate.

Gary Kubiak Steps Up: Fourth Key to the Texans Winning the AFC South

If the Texans are supposed to take the next step and make it to the playoffs, they will need the leadership of Gary Kubiak.  Actually, they won't, they will need the leadership of Bill Belichick, Andy Reid or Mike McCarthy.  Gary Kubiak needs to step his game up and become one of the elite head coaches in the league.  There is absolutely no reason why he shouldn't be the best young head coach out there. 

He has one of, if not the best, offenses and has shown consistently that he can run the offensive half of the game. With Wade Phillips to help on the defensive side, it should make it that much easier for him to handle the team. 

In years past Kubiak has been incredibly frustrating with terrible challenges, time management and play calls (see the running back pass at Arizona).  If he can manage to take his game from slightly below average to good (or very good, I'm not asking him to settle) the Texans will be able to take the next step along with him and take the AFC South.

Wade Phillips: Fifth Key to the Texans Winning the AFC South

The Texans defense was abysmal last season.  There is no other way to put it; they were just bad.  But if the preseason is any indication, they have turned things around. 

Through the first three games, when the starters were actually playing, they didn't give up more than 16 points.  It's understandable that people are skeptical about preseason results when the starters may only play for a quarter.  However, if you listened to DeMeco Ryans on SportsRadio610.com, or if you were lucky enough to watch his demeanor during the interview, you know that is a different defense under Phillips. As far as the players on the field are concerned, the sky is the limit.

DeMeco Ryans and Brian Cushing: Sixth Key to the Texans Winning the AFC South

The Texans have to have DeMeco Ryans and Brian Cushing playing at the top of their games if the defense is going to take the massive step forward that the Texans will need in order to win the AFC South. 

They have the potential to be the best one-two punch at inside linebacker that we have ever seen.  Both were defensive rookies of the year, and they complement each other extremely well.  Cushing is an absolute beast and plays with an animal's intensity, whereas Ryans is one of the most fundamentally sound players in the NFL. 

Ryans is not just the heart of the defense, but he is the brains.  He understands how to get players where they need to be when they need to be there and is sound in every aspect of his game.  If you are teaching your kids how to play middle linebacker, you don't need to look any further than DeMeco Ryans. 

If these two can raise their game back up to where it was before Ryans' injury and Cushing's PED scandal, the interior of their defense will be fantastic.

Mario Williams: Seventh Key to Winning the AFC South

Mario Williams is a Pro-Bowl caliber defensive end with the potential to be much better.  The biggest risk that Wade Phillips and the Texans front office is taking is moving Mario to an outside linebacker.  As a true OLB, Mario is the biggest player to ever hold the position. 

This is a double-edged sword, as with everything in life there is an upside and a downside.  Mario simply does not have the explosiveness of an Elvis Dumervil, and the fast-twitch muscles have to move so much faster to move his 285 pound body past the elite tackles of the game. However, it also means that he won't be pushed aside in the run game. 

If Mario is able to play at a Pro-Bowl level as an OLB, he deserves a plethora of credit for being willing and able to make such a drastic switch.  There are plenty of players who wouldn't be willing to make a switch (see Albert Haynesworth), but Mario has been a good soldier and if he can play the position he has certainly earned my respect.

Kareem Jackson: Eighth Key to the Texans Winning the AFC South

There are plenty of words to describe Kareem Jackson's performance last year, but for the sake of brevity we will leave it at "bad." OK, maybe "really bad" fits better, but you get the point. 

If the first-round pick from last year isn't able to step up his game to a respectable level, it will make it much harder for the Texans to win the AFC South.  The Texans offense can put points up quickly and force the other team to become one dimensional, but if that one dimension is destroying Kareem Jackson then that doesn't help the Texans. 

They did a great job of signing Johnathan Joseph and Danieal Manning to improve a terrible secondary, but they will only be as strong as their weakest link.  Kareem Jackson, "you are the weakest link."

Peyton Manning: Ninth Key to the Texans Winning the AFC South

It is never appropriate to root for injuries or to wish them upon another player, but they are part of the game, and this is a cut-throat league where you have to take advantage of your opponent's weaknesses. 

If the Texans have ever had an opponent expose a weakness, it was when the Colts announced that they would not have Peyton Manning quarterbacking the team to start the season.  The Texans absolutely must win the opener against a Kerry Collins-led Colts team, and they must take advantage of whatever space they can create between themselves and the Colts before Manning comes back. 

Don't kid yourself, when Manning comes back he will come back with a vengeance that can only be described in Old Testament terminology of scorched earth and the heavens parting.  He will be so hot, so prepared and so driven that if the Texans don't have a cushion they may be in trouble.

AFC South Is Down: Tenth Key to Winning the AFC South

It's a pretty good indication that your division is down when two of the other teams draft a quarterback in the first round.  Both the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars are in rebuild mode, and the Texans must take advantage of that while they can. 

The only thing that either team really has going for them is that they have very good running backs in Maurice Jones-Drew and the recently-resigned Chris Johnson.  If Houston can slow those two down then they should be able to sweep the season series from both of the division rivals which goes a long way to being crowned as AFC South champs. 

But it is all one game at a time, and that path begins with beating the Indianapolis Colts on September 11th.